Coast Guard tells IMO U.S. must approve MARPOL regulations

Coast Guard tells IMO U.S. must approve MARPOL regulations    The U.S. Coast Guard said the American Embassy in London has deposited a declaration with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) stating the 'express approval of the U.S. government will be necessary' before two rules of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78) 'would enter into force for the U.S.'
   The rules, revised Regulation 13G and a new rule, Regulation 13H, affect single-hull oil tankers.
   While phase-out dates for such vessels stipulated by revised Regulation 13G more closely approximate the phase-out dates found in the U.S.'s OPA 90 statute, various differences remain.
   'OPA 90 is generally more aggressive in its phase-out schedule for a majority of single-hull oil tank vessels,' the Coast Guard said in a statement.
   In the U.S. view, 'new Regulation 13H is so closely tied to revised Regulation 13G that it cannot be acceded to separately,' explained Dennis Bryant, an admiralty attorney in Washington, D.C.